Trace founder Tareq Nazlawy is looking to change the way in which sports fans are seen – and rewarded.
In an era where most fans never set foot in a stadium, the UK-based startup is tackling one of the biggest challenges in engagement: recognition.聽
The company is focused on fan engagement in sports, using digital collectibles and data-driven identity to recognise and reward fans.聽
Instead of just selling merchandise or tickets, it gives fans a way to prove their devotion both online and in real life.
The firm鈥檚 products combine generative art, collectible mechanics, blockchain technology and an identity layer so that fans鈥� engagement can unlock status, access, gameplay and rewards.聽
This allows sports organisations to turn anonymous audiences into known, monetisable communities and deepen connections with fans who might never attend live events.
鈥淲e built the thing we wished existed鈥� every true fan deserves recognition and a proof of that identity they can use online and in real life,鈥� Nazlawy told 老九品茶Cloud.
Building from passion and experience
He continued: 鈥淢y last company was a web3 studio where a bunch of us were motorsport obsessives.聽
鈥淗ere, we experimented with time-limited digital collectibles that turned live F1 race data into generative, visually arresting art, and released them free to fans.聽
鈥淭he response was amazing! It pointed at a simple truth: we weren鈥檛 the only ones who wanted something to show for our ritual commitment to the sport we love.鈥�
This experience unlocked the company鈥檚 purpose, giving it a new canvas for sports storytelling.
Solving the fan engagement gap
Nazlawy is of the belief that traditional sports organisations have struggled to connect with the majority of fans.聽
鈥淭raditionally, sports grew up as a licensing business,鈥� he explained.聽
鈥淟eagues and teams put their energy into creating the best spectacle on the field and funded it by renting out their cultural symbols.聽
鈥淭hat model worked, but the trade-off was limited direct connection with fans. Beyond ticketing, which only ever reaches a tiny fraction of supporters, most fans have remained 鈥榰nknown.鈥欌��
Trace aims to flip that model, starting at the source of the problem – identity.聽
By giving fans meaningful recognition for their devotion, it is looking to help rights holders transform anonymous audiences into known communities.聽
Nazlawy added: 鈥淔rom recognition comes connection, then attribution, then monetisation.聽
鈥淚n short, we make it possible for sports organisations to truly know and grow their fanbase at scale.鈥�
Reaching Gen Z fans
Half of Gen Z have never attended a live sports event, yet engagement is evolving rapidly.聽
The founder said: 鈥淧lay is eating everything. Passive viewing becomes participatory: choices, consequences, multiplayer drama.聽
鈥淭hink the energy of fantasy and betting mechanics, translated responsibly into everyday engagement.
鈥淭he Gen Z paradox is real: around 60% say their fandom has actually grown, and they consume nearly four times more content around live moments than millennials 鈥� yet about half have never been to a game.聽
鈥淭he passion is still there; what鈥檚 changed is how they consume it. Play is becoming the dominant mode. Passive viewing is turning into participation.鈥�
Lessons from adidas and building playable brands
Nazlawy has over a decade of experience at adidas, where he led digital strategy and growth.聽
鈥淎 decade at adidas taught me how to make brands playable,鈥� he said.聽
鈥淭ake adidas Confirmed, the app for premium streetwear and sneakers: we fused loyalty, scarcity, and entertainment so that buying felt like a game.聽
鈥淭hat experience shaped a broader belief – that the best experiences always feel like play.
鈥淚 also learned something else: when you鈥檙e building 鈥榝irst-of-its-kind鈥� ideas, you can鈥檛 prove everything at once. Real innovation advances one clean proof at a time.聽
鈥淎t Trace, we apply all three lessons: ship small, entertaining loops with genuine utility; measure what actually shifts identity from unknown to known; and iterate relentlessly toward outsized outcomes.鈥�
How Trace differs from previous approaches
Most NFT products in sports, Nazlawy noted, are licensing-first, with 鈥渓ogos slapped on digital items, designed for quick monetisation.鈥澛�
Trace, by contrast, is 鈥榬ecognition-first鈥�.
Nazlawy explained: 鈥淲e create living, data-driven collectibles that capture moments and devotion, and then tie them to an identity a fan can carry across the internet and in real life.
鈥淪tatus, access, gameplay, rewards – so engagement compounds instead of fading.聽
鈥淥ur stack blends generative art, collectible mechanics, and an identity layer that helps rights holders grow known fanbases, while giving brands attribution they can actually trust.
鈥淓ven in the earliest version of our product, our pilot with the ATP Tour expanded their database of known fans by 25% in a single tournament. That鈥檚 a serious signal.鈥�